Joe Altieri closing in on Albany Twilight League record

The Albany Twilight League opened for another season at Bleecker Stadium Monday night. The spotlight was on Albany Athletics manager Joe Altieri.

The Athletics manager is only one victories away from tying the league’s all-time record of 277 wins by a manager — which was set by Tim Lane in 1992.

“The only reason I have gotten this far is because I have been blessed with great players and coaches who believed in me, the model of my program, and played hard every time they stepped on the field,” Altieri said.

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Lane was surprised to find out that Altieri was about to match his record, but said that as time went by and as Altieri kept consistently winning, records were meant to be broken.

“He started winning and never looked back,” Lane said, “He’s coached players with high school baseball experience, college graduates, and even guys who have played professional ball and has a done a great job with all of them.”

“I have a great respect for Tim because most coaches in the Twilight League don’t hang around with one team or one league for as long as he did,” Altieri said, “But Tim was dedicated to the league and put in so much time and effort to blaze a trail to 277 wins.”

Altieri’s players were not surprised at all that their manager was on the cusp of tying such a hallowed record.

“He’s dedicated his whole life to coaching,” Shortstop Zach Halloran said, “I’m surprised he hasn’t broken the record already. He’s enthralled with the community. He’s very detailed and he’s great at getting grown men to buy into his vision.”

“You look at his body of work,” outfielder Mark Teson said, “His recruiting is not just during season, it’s been all year.”

Altieri, who has managed the Athletics since their inaugural season 1996, has a resume that goes far beyond his career record of 612-227. He holds a 276-86 overall record in the ATL, which is the best win percentage of any manager. He also has a 34-20 Twilight League playoff record since 2002.

He’s won nine Upper New York titles — the most ever by a single team — and six Twilight League championships, the second in league history. He’s won three North Atlantic Regional titles, and has made three Stan Musial World Series appearances.

In 2012 he became the only Twilight League manager and Upper N.Y.S. Association manager to lead a team to an American Amateur Baseball Congress (AABC) National Title.

“That 2012 team actually has a great postseason story beyond just the World Series and they clearly left their mark in Twilight history that year,” Altieri said.

“We were pretty close to winning it before, but fell short in 2010,” Halloran said, “So it was the bounce back that made it so special. We made it back to Florida for the national title in 2012 and we were all healthy, and fully stacked. And then to have Danny Barbaro hit a three-run home run to win it all, that made it even more special.”

Halloran, who has played for Altieri since 2009, said Altieri has taught him how to be a man on and off the field.

“On the field, he has taught me just to keep swinging,” Halloran said, “He says “It’s what you do after you fail that matters’, which actually translates to real life as well. It’s about focus. He taught me to be more consistent with my approach, to stick to my gut and stick to what works for me. He was kind of the rock you knew was always going to be there.”

“Baseball often mirrors life and life baseball,” pitcher Bill Lawton said, “What I have learned most from Joe in baseball and life is the same; work hard and you can achieve anything. If you want to take your game to the next level you have to work at it. Life is full of ups-and-downs. Sometimes you need to dust yourself off and try again. Sometimes you need to try harder or smarter to achieve your goals.”

Teson, who has been playing on-and-off for Altieri since 2000 said he has learned professionalism from his manager.

“I’ve learned how to control my emotions,” he said, “It’s a roller-coaster game. You can go from being up 3-0 to down 4-3 with one swing of the bat. I’ve also learned how to build a relationship with a team.”

When asked what his key to success was, Altieri pointed towards the people closest to him.

“When you’re in the coaching profession, you need support from the people at home first or you can’t do your job the right way,” he said, “My success has been made possible because of my family, especially my wife Kari. She has allowed me to put in a lot of time and hard work into this team recruiting, scheduling, promoting, marketing and doing the extras that many summer programs don’t. I think its led to a high quality experience for players and certainly has allowed me to draw more top notch players each year, thus given me the opportunity to be successful.”

His players gave a much different answer.

Lawton who has played for Altieri since 2002 said, “The first key is player personnel. Joe always finds a way to put the best players together on the same field. Joe is always looking for players that will fill in the missing pieces as players leave or retire. Players that will fit well together; players that like each other and will come together as a team. The second is knowledge of the game and the league. As a former player, Joe knows what it takes to win in the Twilight League. He is familiar with what type of player will do well here, what type of players are on other teams, what strategies will and won’t work. “

“He has a larger scope for recruiting and has great eye for talent, Halloran said, “He pushes people, holds them accountable and makes sure they go to the games, go to practices, and go to workouts. The camaraderie amongst the guys is something that makes us successful. We’re grown men. Some of us in our 30s and (Altieri) is almost like a player, joking around with us in the dugout and having a good time.”

Lane said that Altieri was coming into the ATL just as he was leaving and said they have a mutual respect because they are both in the group of players that turned into coaches later on in their careers.

“He’s certainly carried the tradition with the league quite well,” Lane, said, “He’s certainly brought a lot of attention to the league.

Altieri has brought attention to the league not just through coaching, but also from being involved off the field as the ATL Secretary and Public Relations Coordinator. He’s also the AABC Tournament Director.

“Its great to have Joe involved with the ATL,” Lawton said, “There are many skills Joe uses for his job that translate very well to work with the ATL. Joe is a tireless promoter of the league, which is more important then ever. The league needs all the press we can get. Joe is detail oriented which is a big plus when it comes to managing a team or the day-to-day affairs of the ATL.”

Founded in 1931, the Albany Twilight League is a wood bat league with players 18 years and up. The league is primarily composed of post-college and current college players from junior college to Division I.

“The league is underappreciated by many outside of it,” Altieri said, “The quality of players is at one of its highest levels in recent years. You have players signing professional contracts every year, using the Twilight League as a stepping-stone, and that’s been happening for more than 80 years. There aren’t too many leagues around the country that can say that. The league also has a lot of former professionals and high-level collegiate players participating all season long and it’s a high quality of baseball for casual and serious fans to enjoy. Internally, the league is strong and has a dedicated group of managers and officers. I think if we can continue with this current group for a long time and continue to have support from the City, the future is bright for the league.”

With the season fast approaching, Altieri has to trust his philosophy and believe in what he preaches to his players every day.

“In the pre-game huddle I often use the same couple phrases like “play like it’s your last game” and “seize the moment,” Altieri said, “I think it’s important to preach to players, whether its baseball or life, to work hard but also enjoy and take advantage of the moment you’re in because opportunities aren’t always there.”

If Altieri stays the course and if he takes advantage of the opportunity, Monday will be a moment that baseball fans will never forget.